The third Sunday in the month of June is usually going to be sunny and warm. It just so happens to be around the New York state official opener for black bass season and, incidentally, it is also the last day of the Southtowns Walleye Association’s walleye tournament.

Fishing fathers now have another alternative to amp up the excitement level while wetting a line. Catt Creek Bait & Tackle launched the first-ever Father’s Day catfish contest on the heels of its popular Memorial Day event. The Father’s Day event allowed for teams of up to two anglers to pay a $100-per-team entry fee and fish the eligible waters of Cattarugus Creek and Lake Erie, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Each team was allowed to bring in a six-catfish total weight to determine the winners of three cash prizes as well as a side pot for the biggest catfish of the event.

The weigh-in site was at the Hanover boat launch. There were 10 teams signed on for this first-time event and it didn’t take long for the largest catfish of the day to be caught, right across from the weigh-in site. Bob Kenyon of Boston, New York used a slip sinker rig complete with 20-pound test line and a 5.0 hook baited with a creek chub head to catch what proved to be the biggest catfish of the event, weighing in at 18 pounds. Bob had to deal with a lot of snags and frustration as that was the one and only catfish of the day for him. Marty Stevens brought in four catfish for a total weight of 24 pounds, which was good enough for third-place prize money of $100.

Justin Stevens reported to the scales with his partner, Jordon Williams and young Emmett Williams, with two sizable catfish that pulled the scales down to 28 pounds. Their biggest catfish weighed 14.6 pounds. The Stevens-Williams team didn’t get any action until late in the day between 6-7 p.m. They used a slip bobber rig on 15-pound test line, fishing upstream of the Route 5 bridge. They used sucker/cut bait to win second place and $200.

Submitted Photo Pictured above are Jordon Williams and Justin Stevens displaying their two catfish totaling 28 pounds, good enough for second place.

Greg and Jeremy Jimerson fished their honey hole once again to bring in six catfish that totaled 51 pounds. The father/son duo got started at noon and Greg thought it would make a nice Father’s Day gift to take his dad fishing. The guys were fishing from the bank using cut and whole suckers for bait. Their bait was presented on the bottom using monofiliment line with one set up with Slime line and the other with Berkley Big game in 20-pound test. The guys have won numerous catfish events in the past four years, relying on a few secret spots. Their biggest fish was 12.9 followed up with a 9.6, three fish over 8 pounds and the smallest fish weighed over five pounds. The duo walked away with $500.

Jeremy said he planned on taking his dad to the casino for Father’s Day. The Jimerson team commented that they fish Catt Creek a lot during the year. Spring and fall they target trout. During the summer, they focus on catfish and bass. Right now the creek is loaded with bass. The senior Jimerson commented that Cattaraugus Creek is a lot cleaner now than 30 years ago, now that the tannery and the glue factory have shut down. The next catfish event will be another scramble from 7-10 p.m. today with $10 entry fee per person for the biggest catfish, winner take all. Note that all the catfish events are catch-and-release with the fish kept in live wells and returned to the creek immediately after being weighed in.

Submitted Photo Pictured above is Marty Stevens, who caught four catfish totaling 24 pounds to take third place.

Submitted Photo Pictured above is Bob Kenyon with an 18-pound catfish, which was the biggest fish of the Father’s Day event.